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The Empress

Soh the drizzly rain, panic was my constant companion

I’d been so freaked out at the castle, I’d barely taken ti down the drive, with Cyclops leading the way

I had no idea how much tiates for me Dark rolled into dark as I ascended ns of life No Baggers Just ash

To keep randmother’s words--I’d tried to sense seeds buried in the earth Surprisingly round had been thick with the a valley, Cyclops grew e head back atwolf again

He snuffled, so I took that as a good sign

We followed athe valley, before opening into a clearing

I was al; the structure looked as if it’d been built right into the side of theof rock

Thanatos! Theto me, but didn’t really commit to it I tied my horse beside him, then hurried to the cabin

The door wasn’t locked, understandable with Thanatos as sentry I ducked , "Aric?" No answer

What a weird place The walls looked likecopper Maps of constellations were pinned to corkboards Soe workstation

Aric’s things were in a back room His armor! Why was he outside unprotected? My pulse raced so fast I thought I’d pass out He could be in danger right now!

He could be dead

With a cry, I lurched from the cabin "Take me to hi a path between boulders As I tripped after hihtning flared--

A chunk of ice the size of a soccer ball landed feet from me, and other smaller ones pattered all around Postapocalyptic hail? Aric wore no hel of rock; I rushed along it to another clearing, then stutter-stepped A raised plateau stretched before antic dish, dozens of feet tall

Was it a telescope? Or some kind of antenna? The Flash had scorched the expanse of ainst the rain Spotted Aric He was cli in the base of the structure, amid the framework That explained his lack of ar a shirt as he effortlesslyof the hail and lightning, I found a path leading up As soon as I reached the plateau, he caught sight of me

He leapt down from what must have been twenty feet, then stalked toward me His muscles flexed with tension, and the tattooed runes on his torso see marks were our story, to remind him never to trust me I’d told him history didn’t have to repeat itself

"What in the hell are you doing here?" He see with aggression In the night, his eyes glittered with fury